Soil-pulverizer.



GEORGE REHBERGER, OF PHOENIX, MARYLAND.

soIL-PULVERIZERQ `.application ined .rune 14, 191s. seria1No.24o,o25

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. REHBERGER,

`a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Phoenix, county of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Soil-Pulverizers', of which the following is a specification. f

The preparation of soil for planting, under present conditions, requires several operations. The milnimum treatment which will suiiice consists in first plowing to turn the soil and then'harrowing to pulverize it. When so treated, it is only the soil which is left on the surface after the turning operation which is reallyy pulverized. This is more thanl ever true where the soil is a bit moist or held together by vegetation. The double treatment by plowing and harrowing is also kexpensive in that it requires the repeated traversing of the land by tractor orv draft` animals both forthe plow4 and the harrowing operations'. y

The'object of the invention Yis to increase the -thoroughness of the treatment ofthe soil and at the same time reduce the cost of preparing it.

The apparatus embodying the invention consists of a rotary screw, pulverizer blade and a casing` containing the blade, the forward end of the casing being in. thek form of a scoop which is open at the top to receive the clods of earth from thek plow and into which scoop the pulverizer blade projects, so that it engages the clods of earth as they are received and feeds them backward to be broken by the screw cooperating with a suitable inclosing means and ejected in fined or pulverized condition. The pulverizer also includes suitable means for releasing stones and roots to avoid breakage.

To provide for the feeding of clods of earth to the pulverizer scoop and torsimplify the operation of treating the earth in preparation for planting, I combine the pulverizer with a plow, the latter being preferably set to one side, z'. e., in the cutting direction from the pulverizer and a little ahead of it, so that the clods of earth as they are turned up by the plow drop into the scoop for treatment by the pulverizer. The two implements as thus combined are preferably mounted on a suitably wheeled frame, the rotary screw being driven from one of the wheels. Y

In the accompanying drawing I have illus- Y,'.pecication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 191s.

trated a combined plow and soil pulverizing machine embodying the features of my invention. y n `In this illustration Figure 1 is a plan.'I Fig.` 2 is an elevation of the plow and pulverizer.

Fig. 3 is a rear view ofthe pulverizer. Fig. 4:' is afragmentary elevation of the Vpulverizer cylinder asseen from the `side which is `remotein Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings yby numerals, the machine, as illustrated, consists of a frame 1, a means 2 for attachment of a draft animal `or tractor, supporting wheel 3 and a drive-wheel 4. for engagement with the A ground to drive the breaking machinery as hereinafter described. The machine also includes a plow 5 and soil breaker 6, with the driving connections for the latter. The plow proper 5, which is of the usual type, is secured to the central'longitudinal member 8 of the frame, normally, that is, during the operation of the machine in plowing and breaking the soil, extending downward from 6 t0 12 inches beneathy the tread .of the wheels. l z

Positioned slightly tothe rear of the plow i *j andin the' direction of the discharge, which in the usual r1ght-hand plow illustrated is to the right, is a casing9, the 'rear portion 10 ofwhich is cylindrical, the front portion 1l being in the form of a scoop" open at the .top to receive the soil as turned over anddeflected from the plow. This casing'i's'supported on transverse struts 12 secured at their kends to the longitudinal frame members 8 and 13. Mounted in the casing with its axis preferably coincident with the cylindrical portion 10, is a screw pulverizer or agitator blade 14. This blade is mounted on a suitable shaft 15 having bearings in the transverse strut 16 and bracket 17. The cylinder is normally closed at the rear by a sliding disk 18 mounted on the shaft 15 and controlled as to its position by a spiral spring 19 encircling the shaft and bearing against the strut 16. This disk 18 is perforated to provide for the escape of the soil and has an opening 20 for the discharge of stones, sod, etc. The cylinder 10 is likewise perforated, at least as to its lower section, for the discharge of the pulverized soil, and has an opening 21 near the rear and in the lower quarter for the same purpose as openin 20.

he screw blade is driven by means of a traction power available.

` As has been pointed out, the scoop member.

- The operationl will be easlly'understood.

11 of the pulverizer casing is directly in the path'of the clods 0f earth deflectedr from the plow.so that they are received in thescoop as thrown oi'from theplow. The helical blade 35 of the pulverizer screw 141: projects into the scoop and takes up the earth'yas fast asV` it is received, forcing it backward through the cylindrical casing and breaking lit completely as it goes, forcing the broken earth through the perforations vin the casing and in the rear disk'18. Stones or other hardy materials which cannot behan'dled by the pulverizer beyond a certain size will, of course, be excluded by the failure vofthe screw tofengage them. The stones which are inV the pulv'erizer but are too/large to pass through the perforations will lbe passed through the openings V20, 21. Thesod, roots,

etc., when theyaccumulate in suflicient quantity will force the disk 18 to its rseat withthe resultsthat such materials `,are periodically discharged without damagel tothe yapparatus, and the earth 'is reined to thegreatest possible extent. l

, The applicant is aware that attempts have beenmade toj construct soil breakers byproviding aV plow or similar member with a helical breaker blade, but such attempts have failed because the blade, as provided, inter'- feres withV the free action of the plow; and other soil breakers arranged to catch the earth from the plow consist of meshing radial teeth mounted to pass in close relation so that any hard materials thrown -up l1`."I` n a machine orbreaking and pulver izi'ng s'oil, a rotaryscrew blade, ineans'ior driving thef'same, a`perfora'tfed casing'or screen inclosing the blade i'havingarear w'all mounted' to move'rearwardly, a "spring tending to hold therear wall in itsl forward position, and afcasing haviiig'anopening'in the side wall near the rear. I

. 2. In a machine forbreakingand pulveri'zing soil, Ia rotary screw blade, Ameansfor driving' the same, Vaypperforated casingor screeninclosing' the' 'blade and having a rear wall mounted to move in the direction of the axis of they screw, a spring tending to hold the rear wall jin its ,forward positiom'the rear wallh'having an opening 'for the`discharge of unbreakable material.

'3. lAr machine for breaking and pulverizing soil, consisting of a rotary screw-blade, means for driving the same, a casing inclos ing the blade and having a rear wall 'mount edto move rearwardly, a spring tending to hold it in its forwardpositiom'and ankr open scoop in frontof'the'casing. y p

rSigned by me at Baltimore, Maryland, this 12 day of June, `1918.

GEORGE E. REHBE'RGER.

YVitnesses 'YZELLA KUHN,

EMMA WEHMEYR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for yfive, ,cents eifh,lv by' addressing the "Commissioner ofil't'entu.

' a `Washington`jDL C. 

